World's Greatest Internship

You should select me because

I think I would be the best candidate for WGI because I'm at such an eager point in my life to learn as much as I can and to discover new insights, ideas, and places. I truly believe in WGI's mission to create a comfortable space that allows interns to grow and I have always wanted this sort of opportunity to come so I can take full advantage of it!My experience (so far) as a young designer and recent graduate has taught me a lot about discipline, confidence, and having trust in myself. I'm positive that if I was chosen to be a part of WGI, I could really see myself grow as a designer. I bring to the table a lot of creative energy, curiousity, and positive spirit!I've also recently caught the "travel bug" after spending a lot of time abroad at Parsons Paris and learning a lot from my creative director Meryl at Vedros Studio. The studio was built on the idea that "great design looks to the world for instruction." Meryl always encouraged me to consider working while traveling around the world, as it could enrich many aspects of my life and in my work. I'm very confident that I would thrive in the ever-changing locations at WGI.

1. Why are you interested in wgi?

I think it's amazing to see WGI exist as an initiative to actually help young creatives get solid experience and possibly a foot in the door in the industry. Design students and young graduates are bright, ambitious, and full of ideas that have not been bogged down by budgets and clients. I think it's important to nurture that sort of talent and energy! It seemed too good to be true, but it's great to believe that WGI exists and I'd love to get the opportunity to experience what it has to offer.

2. What are you looking to gain from an experience such as WGI?

Through an experience like WGI, I'm hoping that I could grow as both a designer and a person. I'm hoping to learn from talented designers from around the world, observe the setting and see how collaboration and ideas work, and see what a good team culture looks and feels like. Also, I personally think traveling is the best form of change that allows you to get out of your comfort zone and into a new and exciting space.

3. What would be your goals after completing WGI if you were selected?

I'm hopeful that this WGI opportunity can lead to some form of clarity about the next steps for me post-graduation. I'd like to see firsthand how different design agencies operate so that I could find an agency/studio that best fits with my abilities. Once I complete WGI, I hope it gives me the confidence to pursue more daring things in work and in life.

4. How did you hear about wgi?

Instagram!

5. Share an example of a time you were most motivated and a time you were most demotivated.

I was most motivated with my Senior Thesis project at Parsons. It was a project that was meant to be "the last project you'll ever be able to have complete creative freedom and personal voice" (as my thesis professor put it!). So I put a lot of immense love and passion into a project that seemed almost impossible to complete. I didn't have any grasp of how augmented reality worked. But it had so much potential as a design tool. I spent that year learning as much as I can from tutorials, friends, and professors on how interactive technolgies behaved, used, and felt like. It was an intense learning curve that kept me motivated, passionate, tired but fulfilled. I wanted to test out an idea and it had a lot of potential to fail, but as long as I tried, I knew I would arrive at something. With that project, I felt motivated to complete a self-initiated project that a couple of months ago, started out of nothing. I can't remember a specific time when I was most demotivated. Every time I design, there are a lot of small moments of doubt where I feel like I can't ever create anything better than what I made previously, that I'm not actually "good" and it's been all a lie, etc. I've been able to get out of that sort of rut by surrounding myself with people who are even better than me, who inspire me, and who are there to support me and provide me a subtle push of motivation to keep going. In a way, I've learned to accept that part of the creative process and the only way to get out of that sort of mentality is to keep going/keep creating. Even if I fail, there's satisfaction in knowing that at a time where I felt so unmotivated, at least I tried!

6. In your opinion, what creates a great culture at a company?

Great culture at a company is a healthy blend of collaboration, a willingness to learn from each other, respect and lots of encouragement for yourself and your talented peers, and maybe cold brew?

7. What brands and companies do you admire and why?

I really admire the direction that Spotify is going! They've been able to transform something that used to feel so personal and private (music) into something that could be shared and built connections off of. Compared to other music streaming services, I think they truly understand the purpose of music. They have a strong ethos and solid design to bring it alive. In terms of design studios, I enjoy seeing work from Google Creative Lab, Stink Studios, Studio Hato, and HAWRAF (Rip). I think they're all pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the digital space and finding new and playful ways to prompt interaction from their users. Their work reminds me that design CAN have a larger impact in the world than just pretty visuals and aesthetics.

8. What do you do to stay sharp and improve your craft?

To improve my craft, I try to set aside time to play around and create something/anything for the fun of it. I try to stay loose and get into an uninterrupted space to test out new ideas and experiment. It's therapeutic in a way and I'd like to think it strengthens my creative muscle! Also, getting out and experiencing things outside of design is super important to me! A lot of what I apply in design always relates back to the things I've experienced. I try to read as much as I can (not about design!), go out to explore, see movies and art, and learn some new skills and hobbies. These things allow me to keep my ideas sharp and fresh and most importantly – it keeps me happy.

9. What’s your favorite quote?

Consider everything an experiment. Also, form follows function.

10. If you could solve one problem in the world what would it be?

Vicky Chau

Instagram!

Great culture at a company is a healthy blend of collaboration, a willingness to learn from each other, respect and lots of encouragement for yourself and your talented peers, and maybe cold brew?

Consider everything an experiment. Also, form follows function.